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Cory Doctorow believes that non-free DRM implementations will be forced into browsers, and require equally secure operating systems. he bases that on the assumption that everyone will want to use those browsers and that this will kill GNU/Linux.

now, he may be right that most people may be willing to give up their privacy to access DRM content, but most people are also using windows. so what does that tell us? nothing new really.

first of all, he underestimates the stubbornness of Free Software developers. Firefox has already been forked for less. so even if Firefox caves in, there will be a DRM free alternative. there will be enough users who will want to use it to keep it alive.

next, GNU/Linux on the desktop is still a minority. if DRM makes it into the operating systems, and everyone wants to use that, so be it. then it will remain a minority. but it will be a DRM free one.

GNU/Linux may again fail to take over the desktop this year. (would that surprise anyone?)
it may even slow down desktop adoption (how fast is that going anyways, will anyone notice a difference?)
but it won't stop, and for sure it won't die.

Quoting:The year is 2014 A.C. All of the web is occupied by DRM. All? Not quite! A community inhabited by indomitable Free Software developers is holding out, strong as ever, against the invader. Life is not easy for the DRM producers that try to kill GNU/Linux...